Potential replacement

It is said in the Jane’s Defence Weekly that AgustaWestland is offering the AW139M to the Slovak Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fulfil an urgent requirement to replace Russian-made Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ medium transport helicopters.

With the external cargo hook, up to 2200 kg/4850 lb of heavy equipment can be transported around the battlefield

The AgustaWestland announcement comes on the heels of a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) proposal made on 12 January to sell the Slovak MoD 9 Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk medium helicopters for €300 million ($347 million) including spare parts and training via the Foreign Military Sales programme.

«AgustaWestland is ready to make an offer to Slovakia with the AW139M and, of course, associated training and support», AgustaWestland spokesperson Geoff Russell told IHS Jane’s. «The offer will be very competitive if compared to the €300 million Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk offer. We are sure that, with a much lower cost, the AW139M perfectly fits the country’s requirement», Russell added.

Slovak defence minister Martin Glvac said on 12 January that while the MoD is taking the U.S. DoD offer very seriously, it will also consider bids from other helicopter manufacturers. Glvac also made it clear that an ultimate procurement decision would be made by the Slovak government and Slovak Security Council.

The large unobstructed cabin, with 30% more cabin volume than legacy platforms, provides the capability to accommodate up to 15 passengers or 10 fully equipped soldiers on crashworthy troop seats

According to Jiri Kominek, Jane’s Defence Weekly correspondent, over the next six years the Slovak MoD is intending to replace 14 Mil Mi-17 medium transport helicopters that are rapidly nearing the end of their service life and proving expensive to operate and maintain. Furthermore the ongoing armed conflict in neighbouring Ukraine has prompted the Slovak MoD to not only modernise its armed forces with equipment in service with other NATO countries but also phase-out Russian-made legacy platforms over concerns of the availability and costs of spare parts.

AW139M helicopter

The AW139M is the militarised version of the AW139, a new generation intermediate twin-turbine helicopter setting the standard against which all intermediate twins are now measured. Building on the considerable worldwide success of the AgustaWestland AW139, the AW139M has been developed to meet the specific requirements of military, homeland security and government users.

The AW139M can be used for a wide range of applications including Surveillance, Utility/Troop Transport, Special Forces Insertion/Extraction, MEDEVAC (Medical evacuation)/CASEVAC (Casualty evacuation), SAR (Search and Rescue)/CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue), Command & Control, and Fire Support.

Crew and occupants can be protected by modular armour protection in the cabin and cockpit

Designed with inherent multi-role capability and flexibility of operation, the AW139M is capable of carrying up to 10 fully equipped troops or 15 passengers at very high speed in its large unobstructed reconfigurable cabin. Additional stowage is accessible both from the cabin and externally. Two large cabin doors enable rapid ingress and egress of troops and personnel. The AW139M provides the best power reserve of any helicopter in the intermediate twin-engine class. It fully complies with the latest stringent FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations)/JAR (Joint Aviation Requirements)/EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) requirements in terms of performance and safety.

Its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turbines together with a state-of-the-art 5-bladed main rotor deliver a high cruise speed, even in demanding conditions and at all weights. The AW139M has outstanding power agility and maneuverability, providing excellent handling qualities in a wide range of operating conditions including «hot and high».

The AW139M can be tailored to meet specific user requirements utilizing a wide range of mission equipment kits including secure military V/UHF, HF and SATCOM radios, and heavy duty main and nose landing gear for operations from unprepared surfaces. As a result of the new design approach, the AW139M uses fewer components, benefits from integrated avionics and provides easy accessibility to all systems for simplified maintenance tasks.

A Defensive Aid Suite (DAS), including Missile Launch Detection System (MLDS), Laser Warning Receiver (LWR) and Chaff and Flare Dispensing System, provides self-protection from missiles, while an IR suppression system reduces the already low thermal signature of the AW139

Technical Data

Weights

Maximum take off (MTOW): 6,400/6,800*kg/14,110/14,991*lb

Maximum useful load: 2,650/3,050*kg/5,843/6,724*lb

* An optional MTOW (Internal) of 6,800 kg (14,991 lb) is available as a kit

Engine Rating (2 × Pratt & Whitney PT6C – 67C)

Take off power (5 min): 2 × 1,252 kW/2 × 1,679 shp

Maximum continuous power: 2 × 1,142 kW/2 × 1,531 shp

O.E.I.* maximum contingency power: 1,396 kW/1,872 shp

O.E.I.* maximum continuous power: 1,252 kW/1,679 shp

* One Engine Inoperative

Transmission Rating

Take off power (5 min): 1,641 kW/2,200 shp

Maximum continuous power: 1,491 kW/2,000 shp

O.E.I.* maximum contingency power: 1,193 kW/1,600 shp

O.E.I.* maximum continuous power: 1,044 kW/1,400 shp

* One Engine Inoperative

Fuel Capacity

Standard: 1,568 L/414 US gal

Auxiliary: 500 L/132 US gal

Crew

Pilots/passengers: 1 – 2/15

External Dimensions

External Dimensions

Length (rotors turning): 16.66 m/54 ft 08 in

Overall height: 5.17 m/16 ft 12 in

Main rotor diameter: 13.80 m/45 ft 03 in

Performance (ISA*, 6400 kg/14110 lb)

VNE (Velocity Never Exceed): 310 km/h/167 knots

Maximum cruise speed: 306 km/h/165 knots

Rate of climb: >10.9 m/s/>2140 ft/min

Hovering IGE (In Ground Effect): 4,682 m/15,360 ft

Hovering OGE (Out of Ground Effect): 2,478 m/8,130 ft

Service ceiling (MCP**): 6,096 m/20,000 ft

Max range***: 1,250 km/675 NM

Max endurance***: 5 h 56 m

* International Standard Atmosphere

** Maximum Continuous Power

*** With 1,654 kg fuel – no reserve – at 1,829 m/6,000 ft

Equipment

Engine air particle separators

Closed circuit refueling system

Auxiliary fuel tanks (500 L/132 US gal)

Anti/de-icing system

Wire strike protection

Blade folding ship deck mooring

Cargo hook

Single/dual rescue hoist (272 kg/600 lb) with utility hoist light

Cargo hook (2200 kg/4850 lb) with monitoring cameras

External loudspeaker

Self-contained EMS (Emergency Medical Supplies)/MEDEVAC kit

Snow skis/ slump protection pads

Cabin bubble windows

Life rafts

Search lights

Marking for high visibility main rotor blades

Emergency floats

Customising painting scheme with metallic colours

All weather covers

Crashworthy Seating

Modular Armour

Troop seats and medevac stretchers

Rappelling/ fast roping kit

Armoured crew seats and armoured floor

Wire strike protection system

Defensive Aids Suite (DAS)

IR Suppression system

Self – sealing crashworthy fuel tanks

Exceptional agility and high power-to-weight ratio enable the aircraft to operate tactically, flying nap of the earth profiles with unrivalled hot and high performance